Paying a Special Visit to a Colleague’s Sponsored Child

On my last day in Dominica, I had a rare and wonderful opportunity. A colleague and dear friend of mine, Davidson, sponsors a 10-year-old boy named Raneen on this beautiful Caribbean island. Davidson asked if I could check on Raneen and his family during my trip. It just happened to work out that on a late afternoon, I had a few hours to spend with the child.

Raneen (in green shirt on right) and family with Nicole.

I had a dual mission: tell Raneen all about his sponsor and gather as many details as I could about Raneen and his family to share back with Davidson. I was an information conduit.

It was an amazing experience to enter their home, not as a ChildFund employee, but as a family friend. For once I wasn’t taking notes or asking questions; I was just in the moment, listening to the family talk about their sons, their experiences and what they wanted out of life for their children, themselves and their community.

I told Raneen and his family that Davidson is well-respected and wise, and that he has a laugh that immediately puts everyone at ease. I also shared a little about where he is from (Sierra Leone) and about the country where he lives today (Ethiopia). I even showed them a few recent photos.

Raneen, with a letter from Davidson, sits with his mom and dad.

In exchange, I learned that Raneen is quite a good athlete and is doing really well in school. He also has a creative and artistic side, and especially likes to draw fast cars and read comics. I even found out that Raneen has never cut his hair and that each morning his mother and he decide how she is going to arrange it. I met his brothers, had a nice snack with his family and learned about his community. Raneen showed me where he keeps all the letters Davidson has sent, and he told me how much the letters mean to him.

Raneen is happy to receive gifts sent from Davidson.

The visit ended with hugs and a few presents. Raneen is a happy, healthy, respectful and sweet young man, soon to be 11 years old. Though he was happy I came to visit, he insisted that I tell Davidson that he is looking forward to his visit as well.

Now that I think about it, my sponsored child lives in Kenya — maybe I should see if Davidson can visit him for me!

2 Responses to Paying a Special Visit to a Colleague’s Sponsored Child

Really nice to read this. Thanks for sharing your experience. What you’re doing is really important and meaningful work. Good for you. Making these connections person to person is what the world needs to realize that we are really just one big human family.